Related Search

Spotlight on catastrophe bonds

For around 15 years, Insurance Linked Securities (ILS) have helped reinsurers manage their exposure to very large risks such as natural disasters. Over this time, ILS as an asset class has also proved to be very attractive to pension funds and other institutional investors. In this paper we discuss the most well known type of ILS, catastrophe bonds (nicknamed ‘cat bonds’).

10/10/2013

Rosalind Mann

UK Strategic Solutions

Katie Green

Strategist - UK Strategic Solutions

For around 15 years, Insurance Linked Securities (ILS) have helped reinsurers manage their exposure to very large risks such as natural disasters. Over this time, ILS as an asset class has also proved to be very attractive to pension funds and other institutional investors. In this paper we discuss the most well known type of ILS, catastrophe bonds (nicknamed ‘cat bonds’).

Catastrophe bonds, like most ILS, are almost entirely uncorrelated with macroeconomic variables - a characteristic which makes them highly relevant for those seeking diversification away from equities. Returns have been higher than equities and many other major asset classes, with less volatility1. Here, we explore the characteristics of this lesser known asset class and look at the benefits that investing in catastrophe bonds can bring to UK pension schemes.

In summary:

Catastrophe bonds are an instrument used by insurance and reinsurance companies to spread the risks associated with insuring the consequences of natural disasters or catastrophic events.

Catastrophe bonds are event-linked securities, which pay a premium to an investor. If a pre-specified catastrophic event occurs within a given timescale, the investor’s principal passes to the insurance company and helps them pay claims arising in the aftermath of the disaster. The strong investment case for catastrophe bonds lies in their diversification properties.

Since the inception of the market, the returns on catastrophe bonds have compared favourably to many other asset classes.

UK pension schemes can access catastrophe bonds through a variety of pooled funds.

What is the need for catastrophe bonds?

The devastation caused by natural disasters has risen dramatically over recent generations. Population growth has increased the concentration of property in areas susceptible to natural hazards. In addition, a rise in extreme weather conditions associated with climate change may increase the frequency of large-scale disasters. Superstorm Sandy, which ravaged New York and areas of New Jersey in 2012, is just one example of this, along with the recent forest fires which spread across parts of California.

Natural catastrophes occur relatively rarely, but can be devastatingly destructive when they do. The societal and environmental consequences of such events are often tragic, and from a financial viewpoint all it takes is for one disaster to hit a highly populated area, and an insurance company’s capital base can be completely wiped out. When hurricane Andrew hit the coast of Florida to the south of Miami in 1992, it destroyed US$15.5 billion dollars worth of insured property (from total losses of close to US$30 billion)2, and caused 11 insurance companies to go bust. Estimates of the damage caused by the 2011 Japanese earthquake lie between US$110 and US$200 billion –US$12 to US$35 billion of that to insured property3.

Most insured events tend to take place independently of one another. The number of insurance claims arising from incidents such as car crashes follows a normal distribution, and can be predicted with a good degree of accuracy. In contrast, natural disasters occur relatively infrequently but cause a substantial number of claims to be made together. The high variability of the payouts insurance companies must make in the aftermath of ‘act of God’ events drives them to pass some risk onto third parties, such as reinsurance companies. This allows them to underwrite large risks they would otherwise lack the capacity to cover.

However, in some cases the reinsurance companies themselves may wish to spread their risk. In addition, reinsurers may be less willing or able to take on risk from insurance companies in the aftermath of large-scale catastrophic events, and this leads to increased reinsurance costs. Catastrophe bonds provide an alternative to traditional reinsurance in enabling insurance companies to prepare for the possibility of natural disasters without having to limit the coverage they provide to policy holders or increase the premiums they charge.

What are catastrophe bonds?

Catastrophe bonds, which were developed in the mid 1990s, are risk-linked securities issued by insurance or reinsurance companies. The return an investor receives from holding these bonds is linked to the incidence of a pre-specified catastrophe within a particular time period. The occurrence of the catastrophic event triggers the loss of the investor’s principal, which passes to the insurance company and helps them pay claims arising in the aftermath of the disaster. On the other hand, if the insured event fails to take place within the predetermined period (a more likely scenario) the investor earns a good return on their bond – usually between 8% and 15%.

Catastrophe bonds can be designed to cover any natural disaster. Some popular issuances cover US hurricanes, European windstorms and Japanese earthquakes. They have even been issued to cover non-natural catastrophes. For example FIFA issued catastrophe bonds worth $260 million to provide protection against the possibility of the 2002 FIFA World Cup being cancelled.

The catastrophe bond market currently has over $13 billion4 of capital outstanding – a mere fraction of the total debt outstanding on the worldwide bond market. Despite the limited market depth, there is a secondary market in catastrophe bonds which trades daily and provides a reasonable level of liquidity.

An aside on private transactions

Private transactions are bespoke, collateralised, reinsurance agreements which are drawn up between the reinsurer and individual investors.

These are similar in structure to catastrophe bonds, but are typically shorter in length (usually one year term compared to around three years for a catastrophe bond) and non-tradable in contrast to catastrophe bonds.

They require more resources for modelling and structuring, but can provide higher premiums and attractive risk-return characteristics.

1 Please see Figure 1 on page 3

2 Catastrophe Insurance Risks: The Role of Risk-Linked Securities and Factors Affecting Their Use. United States General Accounting Office – Report to the Chairman September 2002

3 Schroders

4Source: Secquaero estimates, May 2013

Important InformationThe views and opinions contained herein are those of the Schroders UK Strategic Solutions team and may not necessarily represent views expressed or reflected in other Schroders communications, strategies or funds.

For professional investors and advisers only. This document is not suitable for retail clients.

This document is intended to be for information purposes only and it is not intended as promotional material in any respect. The material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument. The material is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, accounting, legal or tax advice, or investment recommendations. Information herein is believed to be reliable but Schroder Investment Management Ltd (Schroders) does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. No responsibility can be accepted for errors of fact or opinion. This does not exclude or restrict any duty or liability that Schroders has to its customers under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended from time to time) or any other regulatory system. Schroders has expressed its own views and opinions in this document and these may change. Reliance should not be placed on the views and information in the document when taking individual investment and/or strategic decisions. Past performance is not a guide to future returns. The value of investments can fall as well as rise as a result of market movements.

Compliance statement

Please note this website is for professional investors and their advisers, trustees of pension schemes and consultants in the UK only and should not be read, used or relied upon by retail clients or members of the public. Retail clients should refer to the UK Investor Centre. Reliance should not be placed on the views and information on the site when taking investment and/or strategic decisions.

Nothing in this site should be construed as being personal financial advice. Should you have any queries about your application or the suitability of any of the investments included on this website for your personal circumstances, you should contact your Financial Adviser.

Please select the category that applies to you:

Local Authority Pension Schemes – Opted-up to professional client status by Schroders

UK DC Scheme Member

UK Consultant

UK Charity

UK Insurance Sector

Other (non-institutional investors)

Cookies: Most websites use "cookies" to identify users and improve their browsing experience. Cookies are small text files that are downloaded on to a user's device by websites that the user visits. Schroders uses cookies to provide you with a better online experience and, in particular, to tell us how and when pages of our websites are visited, what our visitors' technology preferences are and whether our websites function properly.

To find out more about the cookies that we use, their purpose and how you can manage them, please visit: How we use Cookies. By using this site, you agree that we may store and access cookies on your device.